Recording vocals is one of the hardest parts of putting a song together. Every voice is intrinsically different, and as such needs different treatment as far as mixing, effects, and microphone choice. However, there are some general rules that you can follow in your home studio to make sure that the vocals for your song sound clean and clear.

1. Tell your singer to sing with his head tilted slightly up. This lets the air flow properly and will let you hit the higher notes with more ease.

2. Place the microphone about a foot from the singer's face.

3. Use a large diaphragm condenser microphone. These usually sound the most warm and full on a voice, and they can be obtained for relatively cheaply; try checking out the Behringer B-10 if you need a decent vocal mic for under $150. If you have access to a large collection of microphones, try as many out as you can. You'll find that they give different qualities to the vocal you're recording.

4. There are a few production effects that can increase the power of a vocal recording. Try a little bit of reverb on the vocals, or have the vocalist sing the take a second time over the original recording; this can make the vocals sound stronger. Put the weaker of the two takes at a lower volume than the stronger take to avoid overwhelming the ear.

5. A windscreen can help you avoid popping sounds. If you don't have one around, you can stretch pantyhose over a wire hanger and use that.

6. You might have the vocalist sing to the side of the microphone rather than directly at it for a more constant sound (this is another way to eliminate harsh consonants).

7. Have some warm decaffeinated drink available for the singer to get rid of phlegm and soften up their vocal chords; tea is usually the best choice.

Compression is a must on vocals. The human voice is so dynamic that it cannot be controlled in the limited dynamic range that a tape is capable of handling.

Keep the microphone a few inches away the singers mouth, and, if possible, put a "pop-less" screen between the mouth and mic. A pop-less is a piece of nylon stretched across a needle-point ring, they cost 20 or 30 bucks in a music store, but, you can buy the parts at any craft store for about 2 dollars and make your own, When I record vocals, if it is a singer with a strong voice, I crank the compressor to about 8-1 or 10-1 ratio to really clamp down on the volume, a lighter singer maybe 4-1 or 6-1. You really just have to try it and see how it sounds and try it again. And something to remember is that you can always compress the vocals more in the mixdown process, so don't get paranoid in the initial recording and end up compressing too much. Compression can be added, but over-compression cannot be removed...

Have fun!

Roger